Oxford beckons for son of refugees
Edi Rama the son of Kosovan refugees, achieved 3 A*s and will be studying maths at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, in September.
His painter and decorator father Arsim, 48, and receptionist mother Gezime, 42, escaped the Balkan battlefields in the mid-nineties.
The 18-year-old, who studied at Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre in east London, said: “When I told them how well I had done they were both in tears. It means so much to them that their son has done well in this country. They are so grateful for everything this country has given us.
“If they had not left Kosovo and been caught up in the fighting, the chances are they would not have lived long enough to have children, let alone have one going to the best university in the world.”
He said his parents often reminded him how lucky he was to be living in the UK. “We know how different their childhoods were to ours,” he said.
“It is difficult for me to appreciate just how hard it was for them”.